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Puppy News |
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Last Page Update: 05/07/2013 11:36 AM |
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PUPPY NEWS 05/07/13 Dream, 5th puppy raised by Jean Silverman and her family, was recently retired from guide work. Soon a lucky family will be realizing their "dream" when they are able to adopt this beautiful, loving, black and tan lab. Our thanks and congratulations go out to Jean as she continues to lead the region and raise puppies for the organization 05/01/13 This week both Ginseng and Thansa passed their IFT and will begin their formal training in New York! We want to thank and congratulate John and Claire Kennedy and their family for raising Ginseng. Thanks and congratulations also go to Azusa Nishimura and family for raising Thansa. In addition, we want to welcome new raisers Carrie & Nina Weiksner who will be raising Nanette, a cute, yellow, female lab and their first GEB pup. And there is no break for John and Claire Kennedy who have received a cute, black, female lab named Libby - their 7th GEB puppy!! Sister Lacy, also a cute, black, female lab will be raised by Azusa Nishimura and her family - she is their 3rd GEB puppy!! Bismark, recently retired from Guide work, was adopted by his raisers, the Slonin family - welcome home!
IFT 02/26/13 Congratulations to Paul Van Nevel and the Van Nevel family for doing such a great job raising Langley who passed his IFT with flying colors. Congratulations to Ted and Sue Mueller, raisers of Joanie who also did a wonderful job during her IFT. Louie, raised by Jody McCain, decided that he was needed back home with Jody to help raise Conway and take some of the stress off Satchel. I look forward to adopting him and having him back home with us. Congratulations and thank you to all that helped these pups reach their potential!
2/11/13 More Congratulations are due to the follow region pups who are moving on to their next stage in life! Bosley, finished for a short time by Terri Binder, is graduating this month and will be moving with his partner to Florida. Dakin, first GEB pup raised by Kavitha Ganeson, is also graduating this month and will be residing in Wisconsin with his partner. Dream, 4th pup raised by Jean (not including Sharon, primarily raised by Eric) is graduating through the ACTION program (Accelerated Client Training Option) which is available to experienced guide dog users. Jean is traveling to NY today to say good-bye to Dream since she will not be at the regular graduation ceremony on February 23rd. Yesterday was the last class for our “Seniors” on their way to IFT (“College”) later this month. Good luck to Louie (#9 for Jody McCain), brother Langley (1st pup raised by Paul Van Nevel, 6th for the Van Nevel family) and Joanie (2nd pup raised by Ted and Sue Mueller). 2/5/13 Jess, who you already know passed her IFT, has been moved from the breeding colony to training. We look forward to hearing of her progress and perhaps a graduation in her future. Thanks again, Carolyn Lauer, for providing her with a solid foundation. Speaking of puppies, along with Ava, the region welcomes Slater, second puppy raised by Susan and Jim Loewen. (I should say, 2nd in my tenure in the region, the Loewens also raised pups for another guide school organization as well as previously with GEB in Vermont many years ago.) Also joining Ava and Slater is Conway, 10th (YES, 10th) puppy raised by Jody McCain. Conway joins Louie and released dog Satchel at the McCain household—sure to get a leg up on some awesome GEB behaviors before Louie goes up for IFT later this month. Thanks and welcome! We have just completed a set of pre-placement classes and want to welcome the new Montgomery Region members! In this version of the Raiser/Sitter List, I have put everyone in the sitter section and will update again later in the month. All have been encouraged to come to class to meet everyone and to keep their skills up while the information is fresh in their minds! A warm welcome to: Julie Pannuto, Jaime Werner, Adam and Jess Capuano, Dan, Sherida and Lorenzo Parkins, and Irene Solaiman. 1/18/13 Congratulations and thank you to Carolyn Lauer for raising Jess, her second GEB pup, who passed IFT on Tuesday with flying colors! Jess is currently being evaluated for the breeding colony. Carolyn will take a break of sorts and let her husband, Alan, raise their next pup coming soon. As mentioned in our last newsletter, congratulations also to Glossy, Bobbie and Jim Havel’s first GEB pup, who graduated last month. Thank you Bobbie and Jim for your hard work! Bismark has graduated into home training and the Slonins were able to visit their third GEB pup before he went home to his partner for further and specific training. Congratulations and a very warm and sincere thanks to Carolyn, Bobby, Sue-Anne and Samantha as well as all of our puppy raisers! You are the best! Congratulations and thank you to Carolyn Lauer for raising Jess, her second GEB pup, who passed IFT on Tuesday with flying colors! Jess is currently being evaluated for the breeding colony. Carolyn will take a break of sorts and let her husband, Alan, raise their next pup coming soon. As mentioned in our last newsletter, congratulations also to Glossy, Bobbie and Jim Havel’s first GEB pup, who graduated last month. Thank you Bobbie and Jim for your hard work! Bismark has graduated into home training and the Slonins were able to visit their third GEB pup before he went home to his partner for further and specific training. Congratulations and a very warm and sincere thanks to Carolyn, Bobby, Sue-Anne and Samantha as well as all of our puppy raisers! You are the best! 11/17/12 Favor, first puppy raised by Casi Meiklejohn, has passed her IFT and will begin her training soon. We thank Casi for her dedication and hard work as she prepared Favor for her next phase of training. We look forward to hearing about Favor’s progress. 9/14/12 Dakin and Dream passed their IFTs and are in training. Dakin is the first GEB pup raised by Kavitha Ganesan (now a sitter). Thank you, Kavitha for all the hours and love spent giving Dakin the best foundation for his next steps! Dream is the 6th dog raised by Jean Silverman and family—thank you Jean for your continued help in the Region! Speaking of the Silvermans—Sharon, raised by Eric Silverman, graduated recently. Sharon was the first dog raised by Eric—well done! Also graduating, was Harry, Jody McCain’s 8th GEB pup. Jody has become the Montgomery Region’s most prolific and successful raiser: nine dogs total, six graduated as guides, one ATF graduate and one released. Satchel, Jody’s first GEB pup was retired as a guide and is now living with Jody as a beloved pet. Amazing! It is hard to find the right words to describe our appreciation and thanks. Keller has been matched again and is back in home training. He was the 1st pup raised by Bridget Van Nevel (but #5 of 6 by the family), was a home trained graduate, who was returned because the graduate could not handle the responsibility of the dog. Now there’s a dog that wants to work! Oasis, home changed dog being raised by Sue-Anne Slonin is travelling this month to New York for her IFT. Thank you to Sue-Anne and family for helping GEB by taking Oasis into their home and giving her much needed consistency in her training. Favor, raised by Casi Meiklejohn, will be going for her IFT in October. We will miss Casi as a GEB raiser as she tries to get into the canine program in the Sheriff’s Department—Good luck, Casi and don’t be a stranger! Finally, I want to welcome three new puppies and their raisers! Eric Silverman will be raising his 2nd GEB pup, Jessie. Gina Slonin will be raising her 1st GEB pup, Keith and Ben Strobel will be raising his 1st GEB pup (as his Eagle Scout project), Kendall.I am excited to help teach this group of teenage raisers. I have a special place in my heart for young people who realize early that kindness is the future and how satisfying it is to help others! Congratulations to Jean Silverman and her son Eric who raised Sharon. Sharon graduated GEB on 08/18/2012 and will be living in Illinois. 08/14/12 Congratulations to Jean Silverman as, Dream, passed IFT on 08/14/12 and is now in training. 08/01/12 Congratulations to Kavitha as her first puppy, Dakin, passed his IFT on 07/17/12 and is now in training. Congratulations to Jody McCain who attended Harry's graduation on 07/21. He has moved to Lee's Summitt Missouri. This is Jody's 6th pup to become a guide! 07/12/12 Loyal, Glossy, Dallas and Bosley have all passed their IFTs and are in training. Many thanks to Linda and Bill Ratcliff for their help with Loyal and Beverly Camalier and Keith Wilson for finishing her and honing her skills and socializations to give her the best chance possible. Loyal was the 7th GEB pup raised by Linda and Bill, who have retired as GEB volunteers after 10 years with the Montgomery Region. I don’t have the exact number of GEB pups that Beverly and Keith have helped finish and raise for the Region, but their help has been invaluable! Glossy was the first pup raised by Bobbie and Jim Havel, who are now raising their 2nd GEB pup, Tappi. I don’t like to jinx it, but I think they are hooked! Thank you Bobbie and Jim! Dallas was the 4th pup raised by Miriam and Sean Grogan, who also received a new GEB pup right after Dallas went up. They are raising Tappi’s brother, Tanner. Thank you Miriam and Sean! Bosley was a home change that Terri Binder graciously agreed to finish until it was time for his IFT. We thank Terri for her flexibility and willingness to help out GEB by giving him a home with consistency and love as he headed up to “college”. Both Ballad and Saffron were released from training after deciding the working life was not for them. Colleen and Maura Bennet are current sitters and Ballad was their first GEB pup. Saffron was raised by Brian Reed and Jen Cromwell (and Kyra) and is enjoying the life of a pet with them. I am sure she is also giving Fabri pointers on what to do and not do! Malone graduated and Mark and Anita Cattrell are quite proud! They did a wonderful job raising their first GEB pup and we are quite happy to have them as Region sitters. Savannah, 4th of 6 puppies raised by John Kennedy with Claire’s assistance, has graduated from the detection company, MSA. John and Claire are raising Ginseng after Fauna’s home change. We thank John especially for his flexibility and always wanting what’s best for his GEB pups. Thank you also for taking over the crate inventory and helping Terry Cohen with the website. Keller, 1st pup raised by Bridget Van Nevel (but #5 of 6 by the family), was a home trained graduate, who was returned because the graduate could not handle the responsibility of the dog. Keller is currently waiting to be matched again. Harry, 8th (of 9) GEB pup raised by Jody McCain has recently been matched. As you know, changes can happen up until (and even after) graduation, but we feel confident that he will graduate in July. Thank you Jody for continuing to raise great dogs and for all your help within the region! Good luck to Dakin, 1st pup raised by Kavitha Ganesan, who is off to IFT this month. We look forward to more good news about Dakin in the weeks to come. And finally, we want to thank Jodi Haveles for her invaluable help, guidance, time, devotion and enthusiasm stepping in as Region Manager after Roberta’s departure. The responsibility she took on was tremendous and she did it with a willingness and dedication that was really quite admirable. One of the things I like best about GEB is that although we are divided into regions, we all have a common goal of helping the pups be successful and it is full of loving friends. Although Jodi will pass her RM hat to Jean officially, I am confident that she will continue to be our friend, advocate and teacher any time we reach out to her. June 5, 2012- IFT’s at Yorktown Heights Dallas, the 4th puppy Miriam and Sean Grogan have raised is now in training. Thank you again for all you great work. They came home with “Tanner”, their 5th puppy. Congratulations to Bobbie and Jim Havel as their first puppy, Glossy, is now in training. They returned with “Tappi,” Tanner’s sister, to continue raising. Loyal, the 7th puppy Linda and Bill Ratcliff helped raise and finished up by Beverly Camalier and Keith Wilson passed her IFT and is in training. Thank you to all her raisers that helped her succeed. Thank you to all our sitters and raisers that helped along the way! Saffron raised by Brian Reed, Jen Cromwell and their daughter Kyra after a time up north with GEB Canadian cousins, has decided that guiding wasn't her calling and instead has returned to be part of their family.
Denise too decided that it was best to try a
different career and returned to be part of the Silverman family. Yeah for Saffron who has transferred to the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. We thank Brain Reed, Jen Cromwell with their daughter Kyra who raised Saffron. She is with our friends up north and we’ll be waiting for her news from up there – eh! We welcome Joanie to our region and welcome back!, Ted and Sue Mueller, return raisers (guide Arlo) for taking her. A big thank you to Pam Cooper who sat her for 3 weeks so Ted and Sue could get set for her arrival. Another new member to our region, Oasis, is coming to us from the Shenandoah region and will be raised by Sue-Anne and the Slonon family. Thank you all and we look forward to meeting your new addition. We’ll also get to see Gigi Aquirre at our classes as she sits for Faraday until he can go to his new home with Cheryl M. in Catoctin next month. |